Alfred King’s Forgotten Fossil Footprints

Posted by on May 11, 2015 in | Comments Off on Alfred King’s Forgotten Fossil Footprints The science of paleontology – the study of ancient life based on fossils – began in Western Europe about 1800. It soon cropped up in the United States, as the populace of a young and growing nation discovered many fossils. Among these early discoveries were those of fossil footprints, most famously found during the early 1800s in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts and...
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Edward Drinker Cope, Pennsylvania’s Greatest Naturalist

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Edward Drinker Cope, Pennsylvania’s Greatest Naturalist Despite Americans’ age-old fascination with dinosaurs, probably few recognize the name Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897). Although his name may not be as familiar as others in the long record of natural history – John James Audubon, John and William Bartram, Louis Agassiz – he has earned bis rightful place among America’s most accomplished and eminent natural scientists....
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Following in the Footsteps of Isaac Lea’s Historic Footprints

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Following in the Footsteps of Isaac Lea’s Historic Footprints Scientists today undertake research in a single scientific field, usually within a narrow sub-discipline. For instance, modern scientists who call themselves geologists are actually specialists in subfields of geology, such as volcanology, the study of volcanoes and volcanic activity, and paleontology, the study of fossils and forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic times. However, in...
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Mississippian Amphibian

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Mississippian Amphibian When people think of fossil vertebrates, they usually think of fossilized bones or footprints, the most common of remains. On rare occasions, paleontologists may come across other fossils that are truly exceptional, such as an entire body outline or impression. A recent rediscovery of a highly unusual specimen hidden away in the vaults of the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Berks County, has...
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Pennsylvania’s First State Geologist: Henry Darwin Rogers

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania’s First State Geologist: Henry Darwin Rogers Geology made Pennsylvania what it is today. The mining of anthracite and bituminous coal, the drilling for petroleum, and the production of iron and steel in the Commonwealth long drove the economy of the United States. Elucidating the history of the geological study of Pennsylvania is an integral part of comprehending its history. Henry Darwin Rogers (1808–1866), the first State Geologist of...
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